"You would think somebody would be able to climb that ladder a little more often," Brooks said of the SEC East battle dominated lately by Florida. "Florida is the best returning team in the country. The SEC East has been and continues to be the toughest division in college football in the toughest conference in football.

"We've changed some history at Kentucky. We have to change more. That would be beating some of the teams we've struggled to beat over the past couple of years. Our goal is obviously to be a factor and have a chance to win the SEC East. To have a chance, we have to climb over the teams that have ruled the roost and have ruled it very well the last 10 or 15 years."

Just keep in mind: Perennial SEC powers Auburn and Tennessee didn't even qualify for a bowl game last year. And Vanderbilt and Kentucky not only both went to bowl games but both won those games.